Will You Be Our Mommy?
by Nikki14u
Summary: “It’s okay Nathan” the older sibling said as his eyes became glazed over “I miss her too” he sighed finally letting his tears fall “I miss her too”
1. I Miss Mommy

**Teaser: **Missing Mommy

"Deborah Ann Scott was an amazing wife, a loving mother and a caring friend…" said Father Thomas in a soft tone as he stood in front of the rows of men, women and children that came to mourn the passing of their mother.

Lucas and Nathan sat side by side with their hands tightly clinging to the other's as they listened to a man they barely even knew talk about their Mom. Their father, Dan was seated next to Nathan where their grandparents Mea and Royal were trying to console him. The boys had never seen their father so broken and so distraught in their entire lives and it scared them, however they understood. Their Mom was gone forever, sleeping with the angels as their father would say and now they would never get the chance to bake cookies with her like she promised at the hospital three long months ago.

The eight and six year old boys could remember exactly how the woman looked that day. She wore a red sweater, black pants and a red scarf around her head to hide her balding head, a side effect of her illness she had told them once. She said that the drug that was supposed to help her get better and come back home had destroyed her long golden locks. But Lucas and Nathan didn't care about that. They loved their Mommy no matter what and just wanted her to come home like she promised.

Unfortunately that never happened.

Their Mommy just kept getting sicker and sicker and then their Daddy wouldn't let them see her any more. He said that she was sleeping a lot in a place called a coma and that she wouldn't want them to see her that way.

This confused the young boys.

They remembered being able to jump into bed with their Mommy and Daddy all the time and would stay there even when their Mommy and Daddy fell asleep on them but somehow this kind of sleep was different. They didn't understand that then, but they did now.

Their Daddy called the evil cancer. He sat them down one day and told them that cancer was the sickness responsible for putting their Mommy through so much pain and it was also the reason why she always appeared to look so pale and throwing up a lot. They didn't know what this cancer thing was but they knew that they didn't like it and that it was evil and they hated it for hurting their Mommy.

Little Lucas cried hard as he thought about this and seeing his brother so upset made Nathan cry harder too.

Taking notice of this Dan moved over to his boys, pulling Nathan onto his lap and wrapping his free arm tightly around Lucas and allowing the boy to bury his face in his chest.

Later on that afternoon Lucas and Nathan sat alone, in their bed room looking at pictures of their family when their Mommy was still ok, before the evil cancer came in and took her away forever.

Together they talked about how silly their parents would act on their birthdays and Christmas and it made them laugh for a little while, until they realized that those times would never happen again. Their Mom was gone and she was never coming back again. They wouldn't hear her laugh any more, they wouldn't play tickle monster with her ever again or bake cookies or go to Grandma and Grandpa Lee's house with her any more. She was at some far away place that they couldn't see, write to or call. She was never coming home for a visit and they weren't going to be able to visit her and it wasn't fair.

Nathan looked at Lucas who just stared at the book for a while before throwing it across the room.

"Lucas no! Don't do that!" said little six year old Nathan as he ran and retrieved the book, holding it tightly to his chest.

"Be quiet Nathan! It's just a stupid book with dumb pictures"

"It's not just a stupid book Lucas! Mommy's in there"

Lucas folded his arms across his chest and frowned.

"No she's not. She's in the ground at the cemetery where she's going to stay forever"

Nathan shook his head from side to side as tears dampened his red cheeks.

"That's not true Luke. We'll see her again. Daddy said so"

"That's because Daddy wants to believe it but that's not true. Cancer took her away and it's not going to give her back to us so just forget about her Nathan. Mommy's not real any more"

The younger boy placed the book on the ground before charging over to his brother and jumping on him.

"You take that back! Mommy is too real you jerk!!!" the boy yelled hitting his brother in the face as Lucas tried to fend him off without hurting him.

When his efforts failed Lucas drew back his hand and punched Nathan in the nose.

"Ahh!" the boy screamed before crying hysterically and placing his hands over his nose.

"What going on in here?" questioned Dan as he entered the room.

"Lucas hit me"

"Yeah after he jumped on me!"

"Well that's because he said Mommy's not real any more but I know she is Daddy. Tell Lucas he's wrong" the boy spoke through tears.

Dan hugged both his sons firmly, not trusting himself to speak at the moment as Mea watched from the door.

She had heard everything and wanted nothing more then to take her grandson's pain away. She knew Lucas didn't mean what he said. The boy was simply talking out of pain and angry over something his young mind simply didn't have the capacity to understand.

When the father finally gained the courage to talk he sat on the bed, bringing the young siblings along with him.

"Listen to me boys. I know that you're sad but fighting with each other isn't going to help. Now I know you don't really understand what's going on here and honestly boys, I don't understand it either myself" he said giving a slight smile, trying to remain strong for his children who were hurting way too much for children their age.

"I understand" Lucas said in a voice that was mixed with anger and pain "The cancer took Mommy away and now she's not real and she's never coming home, or taking me and Nathan to the park or go with you out to do grown up things"

Dan looked down at the young blond boy who was the spitting image of his wife and sighed. His little boy was in so much pain and it hurt like hell to know that there was nothing that he could say or do to stop it. There was no instant cure for what he and his baby brother were going through. Time, yes only the passing of time would be able to help them now, and this included himself as well.

The boy's eyes were filled with unleashed tears as he bit his lip and fought hard to bury what he was feeling.

However Dan wouldn't allow that to happen. He knew nothing good would come of it.

"It's okay to be angry son. I know you miss your Mom because I do to but you have to realize that this wasn't her fault. She loved you and Nathan very much and she fought so hard to be with you but she just couldn't stay. Her body was just too tired"

Dan could see a stray tear roll down his son's cheek and brushed it away with his thumb.

"But I do know one thing"

"What's that Daddy?" questioned a red eyed Nathan as Lucas cried silently.

"That your Mommy loved you both very much and so do I" he said giving both boys a kiss on the forehead before disappearing off to the privacy of his own bedroom where he could grieve in peace without burdening his children with his own emotions.

A few hours later Mea read Lucas and Nathan a bedtime story about a beautiful angel named Deborah, which both boys loved hearing, before heading off down the hall to check on her son.

In the darkness of night the two Scott brothers lay in their beds, tired yet unable to sleep.

"Lucas" whispered Nathan as he left his bed and climbed into his brother's.

"Yeah Nate" replied the blond as the boy made himself comfortable next to him.

"I miss Mommy" the boy sobbed, burying his face in his brother's shoulder "Please don't be mad at me. I know you said that she's not real any more but I miss her and I think that she's still real"

"It's okay Nathan" the older sibling said as his eyes became glazed over "I miss her too" he sighed finally letting his tears fall "I miss her too"


	2. Broken

**Chapter One:** Broken

"Are you sure that you don't want us to stay a bit longer Danny?" questioned Mea as she and Royal prepared to leave.

It had been four days since they laid her daughter in law to rest and she wasn't sure as to whether or not her son was ready to get back into his old routine. The man had spent days locked away in his study, pretending to do paper work unaware of the fact that his sobs could be heard loud and clear on the other side. During these times Nathan and Lucas would look at each other and sigh, upset by the fact that their Daddy was so sad. Then after a while the two brothers would lock hands before gently knocking on the door and joining their father in seclusion.

At first Mea had tried to stop them. Telling the children that their father needed to be alone but then Lucas had turned to her said "No he doesn't Grandma. Daddy always says that sad people need a shoulder to cry on, besides Mommy wouldn't want us to leave him alone"

It was the most heartbreaking thing she ever heard.

"Yes Mom I'm sure" Dan spoke softly giving the woman a kiss on the cheek.

Deep down he actually wanted his parents to stay with them but he knew that it was time for he and the boy to start getting used to life without Deb. The thought of his loving wife brought tears to the man's eyes but he refused to let them fall. He had to be strong not only for himself but for his sons as well.

"Okay son" Royal said engulfing Dan in a hug "Tell Nate and Luke bye for us and we'll come by and check on you in about two weeks"

"Thanks Dad" he said before turning to his Mother "Thanks for everything guys, especially your help with the boys. I don't know how we would have gotten through all this without you"

"Any time sweetheart and remember we're just a phone call away if you need us for anything" the woman smiled at her son before slipping into the passenger seat.

Dan stood in the drive way and waved to his parents until they were out of sight. He then made his way back inside and sat on the sofa in the living room listening to the stillness.

It felt so strange and unfamiliar to him, this sudden quiet. It was slowing becoming a stable in his home invading the noise and laughter that usually echoed loudly throughout the great halls and pushing it far away into the abyss. It was odd to him, not hearing his wife and their boys laughing and giggling as she woke them up and prepared them to go about their day. It was funny how she always had this way with them, a certain gentle easiness that could throw them into a fit of laughter with just one simple look. He smiled sadly to himself knowing that he could never emulate her skills as a mother nor could he fill the void of her absence in the lives of their sons.

However this wouldn't stop him from trying. After all he was the only parent the boys had left which meant that the siblings were totally dependant on him and there was no way in hell that he was going to let them down.

Off his last thought a glimmer of sunlight streamed through a crack in the still drawn window dressings bouncing its rays off his gold wedding band.

He smiled. Hoping that this normally meaningless occurrence was a message from her letting him know that she was still with them and there wasn't any thing that he couldn't do and although they were a million light years away from one another, there would always be a connection built on strength, trust and a profound belief that a bond like theirs was so strong that nothing, not even death could break it. Now this may, or may not have been true but it's what he needed to believe, it's what he needed to cling to in order to move forward.

Slowly making his way up the stairs Dan paused in front of a family portrait. Nathan was just about a year old and Lucas was three. The boys looked as cute as buttons, decked out in their Sunday's best and Deb; oh his Deborah was simply radiant. She had this glowing light around her and her smile was beaming proudly like that of a loving wife and mother, like a woman who had everything she could ever dream of. She was wearing a long flowing red dress and a beautiful diamond necklace that lay perfectly against her bronzed skin with matching earrings and tennis bracelet. She looked just as amazingly perfect as she did the day that they were married.

His finger tips brushed over the still life form of his lost love as he tried to block out the dreadful images of her pale skin, dry lips and cold dead body as he held her sobbing hysterically in a hospital room surrounded by strangers who knew nothing about the wonderful woman that they had allowed to slip away.

They had no idea how much she was loved nor did they know how much love she was capable of giving. None of those God damned nurses or doctors knew or could even begin to understand what she meant to him and their children.

They were not the ones who had to spend six nights in a row consoling two heartbroken little boys who were crying out for a mother who was never going to hold them again. A mother who was never going to kiss them, sing to them, heal their pains, attend their school plays, go with them on field trips or fuss over them when they're sick. They weren't the ones who had deal with his older son's tantrums or fits of rage. They didn't have to remind their younger son that Mommy was never coming home again nor did they have to comfort the very same boy when he would wake up screaming because he had another nightmare about the cancer monster taking away his big brother and his Daddy just like he took away his Mommy. They didn't have to suffer like his family did, not a single one of them.

The thought made him angry.

In that heated moment be grabbed the nearest object he could and threw it up against the wall and didn't even flinch when it shatter on impact. When he turned around to survey the damage he instantly dropped to his knees and began grabbing at the remains, tears sliding down his cheeks.

How could he have been so stupid?

"Damn it" he cried continuing to gather the shattered remains of his wife's specially crafted vase.

She loved the decorative piece. It was given to her by Lucas and Nathan for her birthday last year. The boys had dragged him around searching store after store in order to find the perfect gift for their mother and when they came across the beautiful crystal vase the children both squealed in delight. Their eyes, lit up like Christmas trees as they pulled out their little wallets and paid the cashier. When they presented Deb with the gift later on that evening she smothered them with hugs and kisses, telling them that it was the best birthday gift she had ever received.

They were so happy then and now they were all just as shattered as the pieces he held in his hands.

"Daddy" a small voice called out to him.

The elder Scott looked up into the blue eyes of his youngest son.

The young boy looked worried and frightened as he stared at his father and the glass chips resting in his hands.

"Is that Mommy's birthday present?" he questioned with intrigue.

It took Dan a moment to find his voice before replying "Yes. I knocked it over by mistake. I'm sorry son"

The man was so ashamed of his actions that he couldn't bring himself to speak the truth.

"It's okay Daddy. We all make mistakes" Nathan said before kneeling down and picking up some of the pieces.

It wasn't long before the older Scott boy stumbled out of the bedroom and into the hall.

"What happened to Mom's vase?" he questioned

Dan and Nathan both looked up to see Lucas walking towards them.

"Daddy knocked it over by mistake" Nathan answered softly.

The pain and disappointment in his voice was evident.

Lucas narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist and Dan knew what this meant. His older son was getting ready to explode again.

"Why?"

"Why, what son?"

"Why do you always mess everything up? First you took Mom to that stupid hospital and she never came back. Then you didn't let us see her before she went to sleep at the cemetery and now you broke her favorite present in the whole wide world! I hate you! Why didn't you watch where you were going?"

"Stop yelling at Daddy Lucas! He didn't mean to do that and it's not his fault Mommy went to heaven. And Mommy always says that when you make a mistake…"

"Shut up Nathan! Mommy can't say anything because dead people can't talk!"

"Okay that's enough boys" said Dan while trying to separate the two "Nathan go get dress for school Lucas follows me" he command.

The young blond haired boy glared at his brother before following his father into the master bedroom.

"Have a seat" said Dan giving the child a push towards the bed.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He didn't want to lose his temper or become hostile towards the child but at the same time he didn't want Lucas to think that such awful behavior was acceptable.

"Listen to me Lucas" he began kneeling down in front of the boy "I know that this has all been very difficult for you. Helping me with your brother and cleaning the house and…"

"And Mommy leaving us" the cold voice interrupted.

Dan was not only shocked but hurt by his son's remark.

He sighed "Please don't say that Lucas. Your mother did not leave us son"

Off his words a fire seemed to light up behind the boy's eyes.

"Yes she did so stop saying that she didn't! She left us here all alone. She didn't even say good bye to me or Nathan and she promised that she would never go away that she would always…" he paused "always be there for us, always and forever. That's what she said, that's what she promised"

Dan's heart sank at his son's words as the boy's body shook. His rage had been replaced by gut wrenching sobs as he buried his face in the nook of his father's neck and wrapped his arms around him. That's when it became painfully clear to the man that none of them were ready to face the world just yet.

They were simply just too broken.


	3. Life Is Messy

**Chapter Two:** Life Can Be Messy

Dan Scott sat behind his desk at Scott Motors with a pile of papers stacked to the point where they were toppling over with payroll logs, progress reports from his salesmen, notes from businessmen whom he had to cancel meeting with, invoices highlighted in red, demanding his immediate attention and a letter from his secretary stating that she had to quit in order to move back home and take care of her sickly mother.

The man sighed and leaned back in hopeless despair, unsure of what to tackle first.

_Great, as if my life needs any more problems _he thought with a hint of bitterness.

Lucas had been a hand full earlier this morning. Yelling at him that he wasn't doing anything right along with frustrated shouts of "that's not the way Mommy used to do it" all of which were driving him crazy. He was trying his best to have patience with his older son, knowing that things were extremely difficult for him but his patience was warring thin. He didn't know what else to do. He thought about getting a nanny to help him out but the last time he did that was three weeks ago and with Lucas's tantrums and Nathan's crying fits the woman had quit on them, saying that she wasn't equipped to deal with such problematic children.

This once again left him alone to deal with his boys.

_Deb would know what to do _thought Dan as he picked up the framed picture of himself Deb, Nathan and Lucas.

He traced a delicate finger over the glass, desperately as if touching it would transport him back to that place and time, separating him from the pains of what would be their tragic future. A part of him, some childish believer in the power of make-believe wished that this was all some sort of horrible nightmare and that any moment he was going to wake up in bed next to the woman he loved more than anything in this world.

However he wasn't that naïve.

He knew that Deb was gone and that he was going to have to fight like hell in order to go on without her and to help his children get back to normal, whatever that was anyway. As he continued to study the frame he thought about the day it was taken.

They were so happy then.

Deb had gotten a promotion and they were going out to celebrate when they passed a portrait studio. He instantly remembered how the woman had gone on and on about them not having enough family pictures (which was so far from the truth) so, after dinner they went back to the studio. They were just about to close for the day and Deb looked so disappointed until Dan talked to the owner and slipped him a few bills, telling him that this was a special occasion and that his wife was really looking forward to it. So, the man agreed and took their pictures, for free.

It was a great day. He had never seen his wife so happy.

"Mr. Scott" a voice called out to him.

It was Gary. His number one sales agent that was currently allowing his 6'6" football linesmen frame to enter the room.

"Your ten o'clock appointment is here"

"My what?" questioned Dan lost in the photo he held in his hands.

"Your ten o'clock appointment is here. You know for the secretarial position"

Dan cursed under his breath and rolled his eyes. He really wished that his vice president Jack was here so that he could go through the motions of doing an interview while he tried to dig himself out from underneath his mountain of paper work.

"Wonderful, just what I need someone else to end up quitting on me. Well don't just stand there, show her in" he snapped a little too harshly without meaning to.

Before he had the chance to apologize Gary had already disappeared from sight.

Taking a few calming breaths he tried to compose himself before the lady entered the room. He had to be certain not to take his troubles out on her or to come off as disinterested or arrogant. He wanted to make a good impression on his possible employee and brooding or being uptight was definitely not the way to do it.

He forced himself to sit upright with his shoulders squared back, his chin held high not in boastful showing but rather the posture of someone who was prepared to listen and was determined to make a conscious decision.

Dan could now hear the clicking of high heeled shoes as the woman in question was on her way to greet him. He tried to look relaxed and confident but every emotion he was trying to convey fell through when his eyes caught sight of hers.

There, before him stood the only other woman, besides Deb that he had ever allowed into his heart.

It was his former high school sweetheart Karen Roe.

She smiled at him warmly and proceeded to enter the room.

It was the muscles of his own face that made Dan realize the nature of his reaction; it was a smile in acknowledgement of a past they once shared and the shock of actually seeing her standing before him.

He could tell by the look in her beautiful brown eyes that she knew the reason for his troubles and that she was able to see straight through his façade were others couldn't.

Before he knew what he was doing, he stood from the desk, walked over to the woman and wrapped his arms around her tightly, knowing that she was one of the only few people who he could be completely open and honest with.

"I'm so sorry Danny. Deb was a wonderful woman, she will truly be missed" she whispered into his ear as he pulled back to stare at her.

"Thank you Karen. I can't believe you're back in Tree Hill. I thought that you were happy in New York with Jim" he replied as he closed the office door to avoid prying eyes.

"I did for a while but things didn't work out with Jim and I. He left me for his eighteen year old tennis instructor"

Her voice was low and plagued with pain and bitterness.

"I'm sorry to hear that Kar. Want me to hop on a plane and beat the hell out of him? You know I have some serious aggression that needs to be released"

He saw a look of activeness at the thought of his words, but she smiled and waved her hand, as if his words were just the ramblings of a school boy.

"No, no, no Dan. That won't be necessary. Besides he's not worth the trouble"

"You're right, I never liked him anyway. Besides he doesn't deserve you. You're much too beautiful and way too intelligent to be with an asshole like him"

She smiled.

"Thanks Dan"

He gave her hand a tight squeeze before ushering her over to one of the chairs in front of his desk while he made himself comfortable in the other.

"So is this a case of piled up work or are you reverting back to your messy frat boy slob days" she giggled pointing to the messy desk.

"Well I haven't been around for a while with everything that's been going on so things around here have piled up quite a bit"

"I can tell. Well if you hire me I'll be sure to dig you out of the hole that you've now found yourself submerged in"

"Really? That would be great and since I know that you'll do a great job, how about taking the position and starting now" he said giving her a pleading look and a slight smile.

"Well, ok then. I graciously accept your offer Mr. Scott"

"Thank you for coming aboard Ms. Roe"

"However I do have one request"

"Ok, what's that?"

"I get to have lunch with the boss today"

Dan raised an eye brow and smirked.

"Trying to suck up to me already?"

Karen smiled and folded her arms across her chest in a casual manner.

"Why do that when I already have you eating out of the palm of my hand? Oh and there's also the fact that I can blackmail you with my knowledge"

He shot her a questioning look.

"How so?"

She then leaned in close to make sure that he heard her words loud and clear.

"I'm the only one who knows that you slept with your stuffed animal Mr. Winky until you were fifteen"

They both laughed. It was joyous honest laughs that only people who have known each other a lifetime could share.

"Ok, you definitely win with that one. Now get to work Lady. I'll have Sara in HR do your paper work later"

"Alright then"

In the next instant the phone rang.

"Shall I?" she asked with a smirk.

Dan nodded his head as Karen picked up the phone.

"Scott Motors, you've reached Mr. Scott's office. How may I help you?"

"Oh"

"Oh dear"

Dan shot her a look, wondering what the call was about.

"Alright, I'll tell him. Thank you. Good bye"

Karen slowly turned to face him and suddenly Dan felt as if this wasn't exactly the kind of news that he was going to be happy to hear.

"What is it?"

"It's Lucas. He got into a fight at school and they are suspending him for three days and they want you to come to the school and pick him up as soon as possible"

Just as Dan was about to answer Gary rushed in.

"Mr. Scott we have a problem"

"There is supposed to be a board meeting today and Tonya lost the report. She says that she had it saved in the computer but now she can't find it"

"Are you fucking kidding me? Can this day possibly get any worse?"

Off his words the phone rang again.

"Scott Motors, you've reached Mr. Scott's office. How may I help you?" Karen found herself saying for the second time.

"Yes"

"Oh no"

"Are you sure?"

"Okay, he'll be there. Good bye"

The dread was evident in Karen's voice as she turned once again to face her new boss.

"That was the school again. Nathan got sick all over his teacher and he has a temperature of 102. He's in the nurses office waiting to picked up"

Dan sprang to his feet and immediately started pacing the floor.

"I can't believe this! What the hell am I going to do now! I can't be in two places at one time" he was screaming now, on the verge of a break down when Karen grabbed hold of his arm.

"Dan, listen to me. I will handle things at the office and you go will go to the school and deal with the boys"

"But the meeting can't start without him" added Gary in a nervous tone and with a look of anxiety that usually proceeds panic.

Karen sighed.

"Okay what time is the meeting?"

"Three o'clock"

"Okay, that's fine. I will handle things until one forty-five. That gives me time to get to your house to stay with Lucas and Nathan while you to come back to the office and get ready for the meeting"

"Karen I appreciate the offer but it's not your job to watch my kids"

"I know it's not my job Dan but I'm also your friend and we both promised a long time ago that we would always have each other's backs no matter what and I intend to keep that promise so go get the boys and I will handle everything here, okay?"

Dan stared at her for a long moment, looking as if some hidden smile had taken the tension away from his face. It was a look of trust and thankfulness.

"Thanks Karen" was the words he left with as he rushed out of the door and out of sight.

"Alright" the woman said turning back to the salesmen "Here's what I want you to do…"


	4. Trespassing

**Chapter Three:** Trespassing

Karen Roe ran up the front stairs of the Scott home, rang the door bell and waited patiently for her former lover and new boss to answer. Things at the office had gone off without a hitch, earning her the praises of Gary as well as several other members of the staff. She was proud of herself for being able to step up and take charge, something that her pervious boss slash fiancé had never allowed her to do.

Jimmy was the kind of man that wished to honor a woman by the act of being generous enough to take ownership of her, by taking possession of her mind, body and soul. He would parade her around the office, all kinds of charity events and parties anywhere there were people around to admire them; yes to him she was nothing more then a show piece to be put on display for his amusement as well as the approval and jealousy of his peers. She knew this, but being the foolishly naïve girl that she was she went right along with it and took great pride in the fact that a man as rich, charming and respected as James Bradley Callaway the III thought that she was worthy of his affections. And even though he wasn't the nicest person in the world she knew that deep down beneath that cold, black hearted business man exterior that he loved her. Or at least that's what she thought.

She could remember that God awful day as if it were yesterday. She had come home early from visiting her parents expecting to spend her birthday with the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. When she opened the door and took in the romantic set up of flower peddles covering the floor, fireplace blazing and dinner for two laying on the table a warm smile spread across her lips as she ran through the house in search of the man responsible for such a display, but what she found made her stomach turn.

In the bedroom that she had decorated in the house that she had turned into a home was the man she loved but now despised in bed with his eighteen year old tennis instructor with her straddling him, their bodies naked, their mouths moaning in pleasure and their fingers intertwined. She stood there for an unspecified amount of time wondering what she had done wrong to make him turn his back on her, to make him crave the body of a girl eleven years her junior. A pain formed in her chest as her eyes watered and tears slid down her cheeks, her head swimming with a million questions the most reoccurring one being _why_? However what would hurt her more then the act of betrayal it's self was the man's reaction to her presence.

With a cold glint in his eye he turned to her, smirked and said "As you can probably tell sweetie you've been replaced by this sexy, sweet hard bodied blond beauty"

The girl straddling him glanced over her should and laughed before continuing her earlier movements causing the man to grunt in satisfaction.

"How could you do this? I don't understand"

"It's quite simple honey, it's called upgrading. Besides Karen you and I both know that you were never meant to be a part of my world. You were never good enough"

"Then how could you ask me to marry you if you didn't love me?"

He looked her straight in the eye and smiled "Because I knew that's what you wanted to hear. I knew that you were starved for love and I needed someone smart enough to help me with all my business deals so you got what you needed and I got what I wanted so now there's no need to keep you around any more. You've served your purpose and now you can go. In fact you have exactly enough time as it takes for Candy here to finish me off to pack your shit and get the fuck out of my house. Oh and don't bother leaving the key, the locksmith is already close and on his way" he smirked adding "And so am I which means that your time is just about to run out. And by the way, you're fired"

She stood there for a few seconds in a complete state of shock. She knew that she needed to move to force herself into taking some sort of action but she couldn't. All she could do was stand there and watch the man that she loved make love to another woman, screaming out her name just as he once did with her and it tore her apart. When she finally moved it wasn't to collect her things. No everything in that place was brought for her by him and she wanted no part of it or the bastard who had just shattered her heart in a million pieces. She gathered what was left of her self esteem, her pride and her strength and walked out that place that she had called home for the past four years and never looked back.

That was five months ago and she had made a promise to herself to never let a man hurt her the same way Jimmy had. From that moment on she was going to be her own woman. One who was strong, independent emotionally as well as finically and who was as tough and unafraid as any man could ever be. And this was a promise that she was damn sure going to keep. All men be damned.

Suddenly the door flew open to reveal a very flustered Dan Scott. The poor man looked like he hadn't slept in days and was sporting something on his pants that looked like milk, fruit and ham sandwich rolled into one.

"Hey Karen, you're here kind of early. Did everything go okay at the office?" he questioned stepping aside to allow her room to enter.

"Yes everything's fine Dan, calm down" she giggled as she walked into the family room where a very sleepy brown haired boy laid wavering between dream land and watching cartoons.

On the other side of the room sat one very angry blond boy which she could immediately tell was Lucas. He sat with his arms folded his eyes squinted as if he were trying hard to make himself disappear. He seemed as if he were mad at the world and he wanted nothing more then to take himself out of the equation. As if feeling her eyes upon him he looked up and tilted his head in her direction.

At that moment Karen could feel the boy telekinetically drawing a bull's eye on her forehead. It was painfully obvious that she was trespassing on his territory where she was not welcomed. The look in his eye told the story of a lost child that was hurting and was in no mood to hear anything from any woman other then the mother that had recently been taken away from him. Karen just hoped that he would give her a chance and not give her too much trouble.

"Lucas, Nathan this is my new assistant Karen. Do you boys remember her? She came to visit us last summer"

"I do. Hi Ms. Karen"

The small shaky voice came from Nathan who waved his tiny hand just a little before dropping it and turning back towards the TV.

"Hello Nathan I hear you're not feeling to well"

"No. I have a tummy ach and I threw up on Daddy by mistake"

Karen couldn't help but smile, Nathan was just too sweet.

"I'm sure he knows that it was an accident" she giggled looking over at Dan who shrugged and took off his suite jacket.

"And how you doing today Lucas? I heard you got into a little trouble at school today"

The boy, who never took his eyes off of her deepened his stare and spoke in a low growl "Whatever. And why do you care anyway? You'll be gone in a week just like the others"

"Lucas Scott you apologize right now. You have no reason to be rude to Karen"

"It's okay Dan" 

"Not it's not, Lucas apologize right now or go to your room and stay there for the rest of the night"

The blond stood up walked over to the woman looked her up and down before continuing on up to his room and slamming the door shut behind him.

"I'm so sorry Karen. Lucas has been so angry and hostile since Deb's been gone. I don't know what I'm going to do about him. That kid would never listen to anybody but his mother"

"Well he misses her Dan and that's not going to change. He won't be the Lucas you remember for a long time. I guess all you can do is wait and do what you can until he comes around and if he doesn't, then you're going to have to get him professional help"

"Yeah I tried that already"

"What happened?"

"Let's just say that Dr. Walters was singing soprano for a week"

"Ouch"

"Yeah that's what my wallet said too" the man replied with a boyish grin.

Karen smiled too. She had missed Dan a little more then she remembered and it felt good to laugh with someone she loved as a friend and knew she could trust.

"Well you better go get cleaned up before the meeting. You don't want to go in there smelling like a garbage truck.

Dan's cheeks reddened.

"Oh yeah I almost forgot about that" he said heading up the stairs.

A few minutes later Dan returned, giving her instructions on what to do for Nathan and what to give Lucas for dinner. Thanking Karen again Dan headed out the door. When Karen turned around she was shocked to see that Nathan had fallen asleep. Turning off the TV and heading into the kitchen she saw Lucas standing at the top of the stairs watching her.

Seeing him staring a hole though her like that made her nervous.

"Hey Lucas, listen I know that we got off to a bad start but if you come down stairs and help me make dinner then we could get to know each other and maybe we can even become friends"

"I don't want to know you and I already have enough friends"

"Well that's not very nice. You don't even know me"

"I don't need to know you to know what you want. You want my dad and you can't have him because he belongs to my mom"

Karen was taken aback by these statements and even more so by the fact that it came from the mouth and the mind of an eight year old boy.

"That's not true Lucas. I knew your mom and your dad before you were even born and I was good friends with them both before your mother died"

"DON'T! Don't you dare talk about my mom! Just stay away from my dad and my mom's house. You don't belong here and I'm going to make sure that you go away and if you don't I'll punch you hard just like I did Tim so you better listen to me _Karen_"

Before she had the chance to respond the boy had stormed off and slammed his room door for the second time in an hour. Karen walked into the massive kitchen, sat down at the center island and sighed.

This was going to be a very long night.


End file.
